“Now, now, Stella. We both know you don’t give two flying fucks what these people think of you. And going against Daddy’s wishes? Well, isn’t that exactly what you’ve been doing all week, by showing up at my club without his knowledge?” When she doesn’t reply, I press further. “Tell me, Stella, just what would the great Vincent Romano say if he found out his daughter is willingly keeping company with a bad man like me?”
“How would I know? It’s not like I’m rushing to tell him. Are you?” she challenges, arching a brow.
“I might be persuaded to keep my mouth shut,” I say with a shrug. “The alliance between thePakhanand theCapo dei Capiis fragile as it is. News of us could fracture it completely.”
“There is nous, jackass. There’s another pet name for you.”
Not yet.
“I’m sure you can do better than that.” I let a slow smile creep in, burying the previous thought into the crevices of mymind before it takes root. “But in the meantime, I’m more than happy to keep our little secret. For a price, that is.”
“What do you want?” Her voice goes guarded.
I don’t answer right away. Instead, I thread my fingers through hers. Her face flickers with confusion once more before her guard snaps back into place again.
“Come, sweet Stella. I’ll show you exactly how I can be bought.”
Without another word, I pack her things into her backpack and take her hand, guiding her out of the row, up the stairs, and out of the auditorium.
I don’t care about the eyes watching us. Let them look. Stella’s hand in mine is exactly where it should be.
Chapter 6
Stella
I should put a stop to this. I should yank my hand away and tell Kirill to get lost. But instead, I find myself tightening my hold on his hand as he leads me out of class and into the hallway. It isn’t until we cross campus and head toward the parking lot that I realize that whatever he has planned for me isn’t on school grounds.
Where it’s safe. Where I have fewer chances of doing something stupid, like jumping his bones.
“If you think I’m going anywhere with you, you’re gravely mistaken,” I say, quickly withdrawing my hand from his and retreating a few steps.
In two strides, he closes the distance between us and tilts my chin up with one careful finger. “Then leave. No one’s forcing you to do anything you don’t want to.”
Kirill’s black eyes glitter with pure challenge, as if waiting for me to bite. I don’t trust him, and that makes me want him more. Sometimes I really hate being wired like this. It would be a hell of a lot easier to walk away from assholes like him.
I take a moment to survey the parking lot, disappointment curling through me as my eyes land on a sleek black Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the predictable choice of a Russian oligarch.
“Fine. But I’m not getting in your car. I’ll drive behind you.”
“No need. We’ll take yours,” he replies, leaning in to drop a soft, maddeningly chaste kiss on my cheek as if it were the most casual thing in the world.
Damn it! I saw it coming, and instead of backing off like I should’ve, I let him kiss me, my heart tripping over itself at the unexpected warmth of that brief touch.
“Where’s your car?” he asks smugly as if sensing my inner turmoil. I tilt my head toward my red sports car. “I should have known.” His pleased chuckle follows him as he walks toward it. “Give me your keys,” he says when he reaches the door on the driver’s side.
“Fat chance that’s happening,” I say, bumping him with my hip to push him aside.
Instead of arguing, he chuckles under his breath and circles to the passenger side while I slip into the driver’s seat. For a second, I’m tempted to turn the key and leave him standing in the campus lot. Still, like most of my bad decisions, curiosity wins out.
After he buckles his seatbelt, I wait for instructions.
“So? Are you going to tell me where we’re going, or are we going to sit here all afternoon?”
“Just drive, Stella.”
Since he’s clearly in no rush to explain anything, I pull out of the lot and head into the city. After a few minutes, the silence starts to itch under my skin, too many unanswered questions crowding my mind, especially how he found me. “How did you know I went to UChicago?”
“A little birdie told me.” He winks.
